The Letters of Roy J. Diehl (Jay Roy Diehl)

From 1917-1919, Roy J. Diehl, a railroad worker from Pennsylvania, wrote a series of letters to Stella Custer, his future wife, while he was enlisted in the 281st Aero Squadron. Most published letter collections consist of letters penned by men of education, rank, or fame. Roy J. Diehl was neither highly educated, highly ranked, nor famous, but his letters provide an interesting and valuable look at the life of an ordinary enlisted man, untainted by the notion that he may be writing to a wide audience or that anything beyond his relationship with Stella, his future betrothed, rests on what he says. Still, his letters display the usual characteristics of war-time correspondence; Sergeant Diehl omits potentially sensitive information about activities in his Squadron, treats probably disgusting or horrific situations with a certain amount of nonchalance, speaks in cliches of patriotism, and continually thinks of movement and distance.

July 29, 2010

Garden City, L.I. New York July 28, 1918

This is Roy's last letter to Stella from the United States (until he returns from France, of course). The insecurity he showed in his earlier letters to Stella seems to return when he asks, again, "May I expect to hear from you?"

Dear Friend:

I am writing you a few lines this evening to say, for one thing, that I am expecting to leave here at any time now and that after you receive this you had better not write me until after hearing from me again. Of course, we do not know just when we leave for sure but are expecting it soon, so that should we leave I should very likely not get any of my mail for a long time at least, if I got it at all.

You should see the nice little caps they issued us yesterday. They took all our hats and gave us little caps that look something like the caps the Scotch Highlanders and some Canadians and French men wear. They are small and sit on the top or side of one's head.

I at last got track of the two boys who enlisted with me. One of them, Kelly, is in England, where he had been for about three months, and the other, Pete Stufft, should be on the other side by this time. He was at Camp Mills, Long Island when I arrived here. Camp Mills joins Field no 2 and Pete left if July 13th and I arrived July 11th. Of course, I did not know it. If I had I could have seen him as we must have been close together.

Well I'll close and once I get located again I will write you and then, may I expect to hear from you? If you can send me Kenneth Meades address when I get over, perhaps, I might some time be able to hunt him up. I would be glad to do so.

Most Sincerely,
Roy J.D.
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